


The Dreams We Dream

by Stevie_Luna42



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Dogs, Dreams vs. Reality, Fluff, Human Sides (Sanders Sides), Inspired by Sanders Sides, M/M, Multi, Philosophy, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 06:10:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19864801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stevie_Luna42/pseuds/Stevie_Luna42
Summary: Virgil woke up that morning startled and confused. He began to panic, as he didn't know where he was. 'Wasn’t I just in the living room?' Then he calmed down a bit. 'I'm at my house. In my room. I'm 17, and I have to go to high school. Why couldn't I remember that at first?' he thought to himself.When the sides woke up that morning, things seemed... off. It took meeting each other to realize they were stuck inside a dream. Join them as they fight through various dream scenarios in order to return to reality. Not only do they have to defeat the dark sides, but they also must come to terms with their feelings for each other.





	1. Familiar Yet Foreign

Virgil woke up that morning startled and confused. He began to panic, as he didn't know where he was. 'Wasn’t I just in the living room?' Then he calmed down a bit. 'I'm at my house. In my room. I'm 17, and I have to go to high school. Why couldn't I remember that at first?' he thought to himself. Strange. His dream seemed so real at first. Oh well, he couldn't dwell on that now. He had to go to school. 

He lazily picked up jeans and a sweatshirt from the floor of his dark room. Slowly, his room became more and more comfortable and familiar. Virgil went to look in the mirror after putting clothes on and examined his face. In his dream, he was a bit more tan, and had a bit of a defined jawline. That wasn’t how he actually looked, though. He’d always been pale and small, with soft features. He brushed on some black eyeshadow under his eyes in an attempt to cover up the dark circles with something even darker. There. Now he looked a little more like himself. He finished getting ready that morning and headed off to school.

The cool breeze ruffled Virgil’s purple hair, which matched his sweatshirt. He buried his hands in his pockets in an effort to keep warm. He thought the route to school seemed foreign, but Virgil let his feet guide him, and they didn’t fail him. ‘I suppose this is school then… wait, what am I thinking? Of course this is my school. I’ve been going here for years… right?’

He nervously walked through the front gate, looking at all of his classmates. He didn't know anyone. Wait, no, that wasn't true, he'd known these people for a while. See, that was Judy, Sophie, Jordan, Emily, Zack, and so on. It was starting to freak Virgil out that nothing seemed right, yet he had memories of this place, this life. The more time went on, the more everything seemed real. Maybe his suspicions were just caused by his usual lack of sleep. Yes, that was it. His dream must have been so intense he actually thought it was real. What a strange dream it was, too. He was the living embodiment of some dude’s anxiety. Even though he did have intense anxiety, he had other qualities.

Continuing down the hall, Virgil calmed down a bit. The school was never really a place of comfort for him, but it no longer felt new. To calm himself down, he put in earbuds and started playing some rock music. Unfortunately, that’s when things went wrong.

“Virgil! How are you this fine morning?” an authoritative, deep voice called. Virgil suddenly panicked, and didn’t want to turn towards the voice. He sighed.

“I’m doing well, Mr. J,” he responded, removing an earbud. Mr. J was wearing his usual black suit and dull yellow tie. Though his words were inviting ones, his tone made it clear he was in a mood to get students in trouble. The vice principal always seemed to be.

“That’s good. Say, what’s that you’re listening to?” Mr. J's fake smile always made Virgil queasy. He hated it when people fed him false sympathy and kindness.

Virgil cringed. That’s right… how could he forget? He showed Mr. J the song. He knew that Mr. J would not approve… right? He didn't trust his memory as much as he used to.

“Virgil, you know the rules. That song has profanity in it. Now, since this is the third time this month, I’m going to have to send you to lunch detention.” Virgil exhaled quietly as to not sound upset, and nodded. Mr. J handed him a slip and walked off, probably looking for more students to bust.

'Great,' Virgil thought, 'Another lunch spent inside a stuffy classroom. Oh well, maybe once I'm done eating, I can work on homework.' The more he thought about lunch detention, the less it seemed like a punishment. After all, he didn't have a lot of friends, and the ones he did weren't the nicest to him. Maybe that's why he got himself in trouble. Yeah, that was it, nothing else.

Virgil walked to class, and sat down at his usual seat. He slumped in his chair and glanced at the agenda for that day. Ugh, there was a test Friday. He was always very careful to study and do his homework, so his grades were fairly high. He would freak out if his grades were below a B. This class gave him the least anxiety, but he still paid meticulous attention, just in case. He looked at the clock. 'Still an hour and a half left'

\---

Roman jogged down the path, desperate to reach the school on time. In the distance, he heard first bell ring. 'Shoot,' he thought, 'I'll never make it in time.' In his head, he repeated the morning's events. He'd overslept, due to a confusing dream, which, even now, felt real. After that, he woke up, confused momentarily, then brushed it off, and set his mind to preparing for school. He might have made it, too, if his hair behaved enough.

He also spent way too much time looking at himself in the mirror. It seemed so odd to him that he looked different in his dream. In reality, Roman was quite tan, and had beautiful, flowing hair. He was perfect for his role in the school musical of the handsome prince.

He finally made it to school just as second bell rang. As if on cue, Mr. J rounded the corner.

"Roman. Late again, I see?" Mr. J seemed almost happy to punish someone. "You know what that means. Lunch detention."

"But Mr. J, I was so close this time. Can't we just forget this happened?" Roman couldn't miss lunch. Lunch was when the theater department painted props and fitted costumes for the upcoming musical. He was the lead this time, too. He fidgeted with his red bomber jacket and ran his fingers through his thick dark hair. He smiled weakly, his eyes pleading with Mr. J.

"I'm sorry Roman, but rules are rules. If I let you off the hook, then everyone will think it's okay to do whatever they want. Lunch detention. That's final." Mr. J handed him a slip. Roman took it, then stormed off to class. 'Stupid Mr. J. Now I'll have to make it up to my cast mates.' This day was not going well at all. Little did Roman know it would get much worse and better at the same time.

\---

First period came and went, and soon it was break. Patton was walking outside when he heard a high pitched whine coming from the bushes. Worried an animal might have been hurt, he pushed back the branches. Hiding behind the leaves, Patton spied a small dog. The dog was mangy, and didn't wear a collar. He was malnourished, seeing as his ribs were visible. Pat adjusted his glasses.

"Poor little guy. Come here, I won't hurt you, I promise." Patton reached out his hand calmly. The dog was afraid, at first, then relaxed some. He pet the dog, then reached into his bag and offered the dog some food. The dog gladly accepted.

"There you go. I'm gonna call you… Teddy! 'Cause you're my little teddy bear!" Patton picked up Teddy and brought him to a picnic table in the corner. Now that Teddy was out of the bushes, Patton could see him better. Teddy was a brown Maltese puppy, with white paws. He was absolutely adorable, and had already stolen Pat's heart. Not that this was difficult to do. Patton was both a child and a dad at the same time. He was probably the nicest person in school. He quickly became attached to the puppy. Teddy even pushed aside Pat's thoughts of his strange dream that morning. Pat was feeding Teddy scraps when Mr. J walked by.

"Patton, is that your dog?" Mr. J looked at the dog as if it were a pest. Pat glanced up and contemplated his answer.

"Well, I mean, not really, but he will be if I spend any more time with him, he will be! I mean, just look at his little face!" Patton had a huge smile, and it seemed as though Teddy did, too. They were an adorable pair, seeing as Pat's neatly groomed hair matched the color of Teddy's fur. Pat's child-like freckles made them both look so young.

"You know the rules. No pets at school. I'll let you off with lunch detention if you promise it won't happen again." Pat's face fell, and he looked gloomily at Teddy.

"Fine, but what about Teddy?" Patton and Teddy both looked at Mr. J with large, pleading eyes. Now that they were together, Pat was determined to keep Teddy safe and happy, no matter what. Patton may not have looked tough, but he would fight for those he loved, and, in that moment, that was Teddy.

"Teddy?" Mr. J was clearly confused.

"The dog. That's what I named him." Patton's steadily growing grin and desperate eyes made Mr. J take a bit of pity on him. 

"I suppose we can keep him in the office, but make sure you come and get him after school!" Pat nodded enthusiastically, then got up and hugged Mr. J. Though startled, the vice principal gave a slight smile before stepping away.

"I promise I will! Thanks Mr. J!" Patton picked up Teddy and brought him to the office. After bidding Teddy and the office workers goodbye, Pat walked off to class, happier than he had been just minutes earlier.

\---

Even though no one was allowed inside, Logan figured he could get away with a secret visit. After all, it wasn't that big of a deal. It was just the library. His strange morning had left him searching for answers. He scanned the shelves for something useful. Finally, he found it.

"A Study of Dreams," he muttered to himself. 'Perhaps this might help me figure out my dream. Or was it a dream? That so called dream felt more real than this…'

Logan put the book in his backpack and headed for the door. He nervously pushed up his glasses and took a deep breath. Suddenly, the door swung open, and in walked Mr. J.

"Logan. What are you doing here? I've told you before, the library is closed for repairs." Mr. J eyed Logan suspiciously.

Logan hesitated. "I was just in to grab a book for a project." He didn't trust anyone here, much less Mr. J. Fortunately for Logan, he was a fairly good liar. Mr. J squinted his eyes and nodded, slowly.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

Logan nodded. "May I go now?"

"Not so fast, mister. You still broke the rules. Meet me at lunch detention." Mr. J handed him a slip, and Logan hastily made his way to his next class. He breathed a sigh of relief and smoothed down his blue striped tie. Something suspicious was going on, and he was going to find out what. 'Closed for repairs. There were no repairs going on in there. I need to find the people in my dream. Perhaps then I'll find answers. However, first, I have to read up on dreams.'

\---

"Remind me why we're having the four people who can take us down gather together in the same room?"

"This will test the strength of our illusions. If they don't recognize each other, or think something is wrong, we can keep them trapped here."

"Logan is already suspicious. I checked the library, and he stole a book on dreams."

“That’s not a good sign.”

“No kidding.”

"Trust me for once. I have a plan. Did Patton take the dog?"

"Gladly. That was a genius idea, actually. Maybe if we give the others a reason to stay, they will."

"Excellent. We'll see how lunch goes, then we'll execute the next step." Teddy whined from the corner of the office.

"Whatever you say, ‘principal Remus’."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo, mysterious! Thank you for reading! This is my first time publishing my work, so I hope you enjoy! The second part will be out by next Friday!


	2. Detention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sides go to detention and discover they have history together

Lunch detention was in the art docent room that day, so Virgil headed there after second period. He got there first, and took a seat in the back. Mr. J walked in after him, and went to stand and wait for the others at the front of the room. Virgil got out his notebook, and started sketching, not knowing where his pencil would lead him. 

After a minute, Logan strolled in, trying hard to stay calm. He looked at Virgil, as if he was going to say something, but glanced at Mr. J and decided against it. He sat a few rows ahead of Virgil and pulled out a book on physics. Since he 'stole' the book on dreams, he thought it best to keep it hidden.

It was a while before Roman came in and announced he was on stage apologizing to his cast mates. Virgil looked up, then quickly looked down. Strangely, his memories told him he had a crush on Roman, although he didn't trust his memories completely. Still, Roman was cute, that's for sure.

A second later, Patton hurried in and took a seat, apologizing the entire way. "I'm so sorry, Mr. J! I visited the office to give Teddy some food."

"It's okay Patton, just take a seat." Mr. J cleared his throat and prepared to make a speech. "You all know why you're here, because you broke the rules. However, I know all of you are good students, and I trust you. I have business to attend to, so I'm going to leave you for the rest of lunch. Just remember, if I catch you outside of here, you will have after school detention for two weeks. Am I clear?" Everyone nodded. "Good. I will see you all later." With that, Mr. J promptly left.

They were quiet for a while, when Roman stood up and broke the silence. "Not that this hasn't been fun, but I have places to be. Goodbye, peasants!"

"You can't just leave, Roman, you may be caught," Logan advised, looking up from his book.

"I'm stealthier than you think, brainiac. You'd be surprised." Virgil rolled his eyes at Roman's snarky reply.

"You? Stealthy? You're the most loud, obvious person in school." Virgil regretted saying anything. 'Oh no, what did I just say? He hates me now, I know it,' Virgil though.

"I'm sure you know so much about not being noticed, Hot Topic,” Roman sniped back.

Virgil looked down. "C'mon Roman, be nice. We just don't want you to get in trouble, that's all," Patton interjected, in an attempt to resolve any conflict. Roman brushed it off, but Virgil appreciated Patton’s genuine kindness. Virgil felt connected to Patton, almost as if they were old friends.

"That's sweet of you and all, but I can handle myself," Roman announced, making it clear to everyone he intended to leave. Even so, Roman wanted to spend a bit more time with this group of opposites. They felt so… familiar somehow. It made him feel like they had a history together that he didn't know about.

Roman started to walk towards the door when Logan lightly touched his arm. All of a sudden, they both saw a flash and shared a vision of the two of them bickering. Except it wasn't quite them, it was the version of them from that morning's dream. They looked identical, almost as if someone had combined the two, then duplicated the new person. Their features were combined, with the dream person’s hair and skin color being a strange in-between. Roman jerked his arm away and stared in disbelief at Logan.

"What… what was that?" Roman asked nervously, his voice shaking.

"Did you see what I saw?" Logan inquired, taking a scholarly approach to this new discovery.

"What just happened?" Patton wondered out loud. Virgil nodded, thinking the same thing.

"That… that was my dream, except…" Roman's voice trailed off.

"Except we were both in it, and we were arguing over a man named Thomas. " Everyone stared at Logan, too scared to say anything.

"Did you guys have that dream, too? I thought it was a strange dream, especially since it seemed…" Patton stopped, not wanting to finish the thought.

"Real," everyone said in unison.

"Here, Patton, take Virgil's hand," Logan commanded, taking charge of the bizarre situation. Virgil and Patton got up and shook hands. There was another flash, followed by a glimpse into their 'dream'.

"Mmm… Morality?" Virgil whispered, just loud enough for the others to hear.

"Y… yeah, that's me, kiddo. Anxiety." Patton gave everyone a weak smile. Neither one of them really remembered the other, but the small glimpse into their past made them trust each other.

"Could everyone come hear and hold hands? Perhaps this would allow us to recall more." The others turned to face Logan, and, after a second of silence, walked over. They stood in a circle and held hands, hesitant as to what they might remember. They took a deep breath.

Suddenly, they were launched into a dream, THE dream, where all they could do was watch, as if from behind glass, as a strange scene unfolded before them.

* * *

"Thomas hasn't exactly been," Virgil paused, "at his best."

"If we are not careful, Thomas may be susceptible to an attack from the others," Logan stated matter-of-factly.

"He’s strong, I'm sure he'll be okay," Patton said wistfully.

"The dark sides are planning something. I can… feel it," Virgil looked down, terrified of what that meant.

"I won't let anything happen to him! I will fight them if I have to!" Roman shouted, brandishing his sword.

"Is there anything I can do?" Thomas quietly asked. The sides turned to look at him, having forgotten he was there. They shared a nervous glance before Patton answered.

"Just rest and feel better, kiddo."

"Okay, I will." Almost as soon as Thomas sat down, he fainted, sending the sides into the mind palace. They opened their eyes to find themselves face-to-face with Janus and Remus.

"What did you do!" Roman shouted. The devilish duo only laughed, and that was the last thing anyone heard before drifting back into consciousness.

* * *

They inhaled sharply and opened their eyes. They stood, still holding hands, awkwardly for a moment before Virgil turned away. The others promptly followed suit.

"Well… that was interesting," Roman whispered, breaking the silence.

"What now?" Patton asked.

"We cannot let the dark sides know we are onto them," Logan concluded.

"So what, we just pretend everything is fine until we can wake up?" Roman nearly yelled, then caught himself.

"Precisely." The room went quiet again. Logan sighed. "Look, I know you all wish to escape this world, however, for now, we have no way of leaving."

"Speaking of which, where are we exactly?” Patton asked.

“I think we were sent into the dream center,” Virgil answered. The others looked at him curiously. “I used to spend time there, and watch Thomas dream. I stopped, though, for a while at least, once I realized I was keeping him up.”

“Is that what we’re in right now? A dream? Ha! No dream can contain me!” Roman called out. Virgil and Logan rolled their eyes.

“Not just a dream. This appears to be an illusion, cast by Janus and Remus. With their combined powers, they must have created this fake world, and given us fake memories as well,” Logan explained.

“Wait, so… nothing is real? TEDDY ISN’T REAL?!!” Patton yelled, his expression deeply saddened.

“Who’s Teddy?” Roman asked.

“He’s this dog I adopted earlier today. Oh, he has just the cutest little face! I. LOVE. HIM.” Patton had perked up, then his face fell. “But… he’s not real… he was never real.” Virgil walked over and hugged Patton. They both gave weak smiles and lingered, taking comfort in each other’s company. After a moment, they broke apart.

“Are you… alright, Patton?” Logan asked, a touch of worry in his voice.

“Yeah. I guess. I suppose that’s what I get for attaching myself to something so quickly. Thanks for asking.” Patton smiled at him, and they both blushed slightly.

Roman broke the silence that followed. “So… about our plan…”

Logan cleared his throat. “Yes, well, for now, all we can do is learn about our surroundings.”

“What does that even mean though?” Virgil asked.

“It is not clear, however, I have a few ideas I wish to develop. I know, that statement is vague, but I do not have much else to offer.” The others stared at Logan and slowly nodded.

“Where can we meet where the dark sides won’t find us?” Patton inquired.

Virgil smiled. “I think I know a place. Let’s meet up again tonight, at 1 AM, by the bridge.”

“Which bridge?” Roman inquired. Virgil smirked in response, then blushed.

“I have ‘memories’ of watching people go by over the bridge. All of you used to go there. Well, I guess that’s a lie, but still, you should all know it.” Virgil looked slightly embarrassed, but the others gave him reassuring grins.

“Then it is settled. We must be certain no one sees us, since they may alert the dark sides of our meeting.” Logan sat down at his original desk. "I suggest you all sit back down and pretend this never happened." They followed Logan's advice and sat down.

After a minute of working on economics homework, Roman cracked a smile and started giggling.

"What's so funny, Princey?" Virgil asked.

"Class doesn't matter! Grades don't matter! It's all fake! Ha! Take that, Mr. Miller!" Roman announced.

"If school doesn't matter, then neither does the school musical," Virgil pointed out.

"Oh… yeah, that's right. Darn it, I finally got the lead, too." Roman slumped down in his chair.

"Aww, it's okay, Roman. There will be other roles, in the real world! I know it sucks, but we'll get through this!" Patton said reassuringly.

"Thanks, Pat."

Patton smiled. "Of course. I'll always help." Everyone went back to their tasks, when Logan had a thought.

"I know this may seem unnecessary, however, in order to avoid suspicion, we must complete any and all homework assignments. It will be a dead giveaway if we stop." Everyone else grumbled, but they agreed. All of them had to pretend this world was real, which meant homework, eating, sleeping (except that night), musical practice for Roman, and Pat had to care for Teddy.

Eventually, a couple minutes before the bell rung, Mr. J came back. "Did everyone behave?" he asked. They nodded in response. "Good. Off you go, then." Everyone filed out the door and went their separate ways, each remembering their promise to meet that night. They all shared one thought: 'we have to make it home.'

\---

"I think they're onto us."

"Don't be ridiculous. This illusion is strong, they can't just look really hard at something and realize it isn’t real.”

“I know, it’s just… I get the feeling they have a tiny bit of their real memories. If they do, they can break free.”

“Fine. Just in case, I’ll prepare the next level.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading! I wanted to release the first two chapters so you could get a sense of what the story will be like. Enjoy!


	3. Quick announcement!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Announcement!

Hey guys! I know, the next chapter is taking a little longer than expected, but bear with me. I started writing one scene, then realized I wanted another scene before it, and now I'm writing in a weird order. I've been busy, I know, but the next chapter will be done by the end of the month (see, now I have to finish it by then). I just wanted to hop on over here to announce that I started posting this story on Wattpad under the same name. If you guys want to follow TDWD (it's an acronym now) then that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you SO much for the 100+ of you who have read my silly passion project. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!

-Stevie_Luna42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I'm having trouble with the notes at the end, so if anyone could help out, that would be greatly appreciated. Bye!


	4. Dawn River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sides explore their surroundings and options, and even make some new discoveries.

Patton walked up to the office, tired from a day of school. He didn't remember actual school being this hard. 'I suppose Remus wants to punish us a tiny bit', he thought. 'I'll just have to make the most out of it!'

He opened the office door. "Hey Judy! How was Teddy?" Patton asked the receptionist. She smiled back at him.

“Hi Patton! Teddy was a sweetheart, I appreciated the company.” She was a nice lady, with dark hair and features. No matter how hard Patton tried to like her, he couldn’t stop the voice in his head, yelling she wasn’t real, he couldn’t trust her. Judy reached under her desk and pulled out Teddy, who happily wagged upon seeing Patton. Pat couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey buddy! C'mon, let's go home! I'm sure my mom will love you!" Patton took Teddy and carried him out. He ventured outside to a grove of oak trees and set Teddy down. Under the nearest tree, Logan was reading his stolen book. Teddy ran to Logan and jumped into his lap.

"Ah!... Oh, it is just you." Logan had tensed up and hidden the book, but relaxed when he saw Teddy and Patton. He turned to address Teddy. "You must be Teddy. Patton has told me about you." Pat giggled at Logan's straightforward conversation with a dog.

"You remembered!"

"Remembered what?" Logan asked.

Patton blushed slightly. "Teddy's name! From when I said it in detention."

"Yes, well, I do have a knack for details." Logan looked slightly awkward, but Patton always helped put him at ease.

"Still, it's nice to see you care, at least a little bit." 

"Of course I care. Why would I not?" Logan looked pained slightly. Pat immediately regretted his words, and his mind raced, trying to find a way to apologize.

"Well, it's just that, you can act sort of… robotic, and emotionless." 'Well that came out wrong,' he thought.

Logan sighed. "I know. I am very sorry for any pain I have caused you." He gathered his belongings. "May I walk home with you?"

Patton's face lit up. "Of course, Lo!" He picked up Teddy, and they began walking. "What's on your mind?" Logan hesitated. “Come on, you can trust me! I’m here for you.” Patton’s smile gave Logan reassurance.

"I have one. I have my own mind. I have emotions, too. Iky human emotions. I am… I am a person.”

“I know! It’s so cool! Now I can relate to Thomas even more!" Patton could always put a positive spin on everything. Most of the time, it made the situation seem better. This was not one of those times.

"I think we're not on the same page, Pat." Logan's brief moment of vulnerability had passed. He didn't think Patton would understand.

Pat frowned. "What do you mean? Are you doing okay?"

"Yes. I am doing just fine, thank you." They walked in silence for a bit, then made small talk about their classes. By then, they were across from a park.

"I must admit, the dark sides did an amazing job creating this world. The fact that we have false memories, as well as this entire false town is remarkable," Logan said, admiringly.

"Are you jealous of the dark sides?" Pat teased. They both laughed.

"Of course not. They just put a lot of work into this plan of theirs. They must have been planning this for a long time." Logan paused. "How long have they been planning?"

Patton thought it over momentarily. "Weeks? Months maybe? They might've been waiting for an opportunity to launch their plan for a while."

Logan perked up suddenly, and began mumbling to himself. “It broke quickly… the faces… the path… his sudden decline… yes, yes!” Patton didn’t know what Logan meant, but Pat had never seen Lo this happy. Come to think of it, he had never seen Lo ‘happy’.

“What are you talking about? Are you okay?" Logan just smiled. Patton hadn't seen him smile. Ever. 'He has such a cute smile!' Patton thought.

"Don't you see! This is great news! We have an advantage!" Logan took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "Look at the faces of these people. Look… closely." He pointed at a small group of people hanging out in the park. They appeared normal, at first. The more Patton looked, the more he realized… 

"They have the same face. There are only two faces, one for girls, and one for guys."

"Exactly."

"But… what does this mean?"

"If the dark sides had enough time, don't you think they would've made more than two different faces?" Patton's eyes widened. "It all makes sense. Thomas didn't start… feeling bad until recently. It's my estimate they rushed their plan."

"But… how?"

"Well, it's hard to say. However, there is plenty of evidence of them rushing into things. For example, our fake memories. They aren't specific. We just have facts and stories in our heads. Just enough to write a profile, or tell an entertaining story.” Logan paused to think. “Have you ever seen the movie Inception?”

“Um… yeah. We’re part of the same person. If you’ve seen it, I’ve seen it.” Pat chuckled awkwardly.

“Excellent. In this movie, time passes differently in dreams than in the real world. It is my belief that this dream world does not feel the passage of time.” Logan’s voice when talking had an energy Patton did not recognize. The way Logan talked sounded as if he was speaking while his thoughts were still being formed. As he continued rambling, Logan realized more and more.

“Don’t you see, Patton? They aren’t ready for us! They’re just trying to stall us long enough to take control! I bet if we do something soon, we can beat them!”

“Well, then, we better tell the others tonight!”

. . .  
That night, Virgil waited until the house was still, then quietly cracked open his bedroom window. He carefully shimmied his way out the window and into his backyard. He walked around to the side of the house and cracked the gate open. 'Perfect, there's no one there'. He snuck out whenever he couldn't sleep, which was often.

He gently closed the gate behind him and started walking down the street, the warm evening breeze carrying the scent of grass. Virgil stopped at a gap between two houses. In this gap, there was a grassy, dimly lit path, which led to the group’s meeting place. Sure, they all visited the bridge fairly regularly, but, to Virgil, it was his special spot to come and relax. Even though he knew they needed to escape this world, he liked it here, by this river, where nothing bad could have ever happened. Part of his mind was still fighting to prove this world was real. His head hurt from having memories of two lives, both very different, yet similar. If he was his own person, he would live similar to this highschool kid, but he could never. He wasn't even an individual. Still, it was nice, having ambitions and complex thought for once. It almost made it worth it to stay here. Almost. He was needed elsewhere.

Virgil sat down on a wooden bench in the middle of the bridge. He looked out at the calm water of Dawn River and relaxed. Lilies grew by the side of the water, and fireflies danced in the air. From this spot, he could see the stars. He had to hand it to the dark sides, they were thorough when creating this world. He sat there for what might’ve been hours or perhaps five minutes before he heard the soft crunching of grass and creaking of wood.

“You’re here early,” called a soft voice which Virgil identified as Roman’s.

“Yeah. I wanted to come here to think.” Virgil smiled awkwardly as he spoke, blushing slightly at the sight of Roman.

“About what?” Roman asked timidly as he sat down next to Virgil.

“Anything and everything.”

Roman laughed softly. “I know. I feel like I can’t trust anything anymore. Well, except you.” He blushed, and so did Virgil. “I mean, you, Patton, and Logan.”

“Yeah, I understand. Do you have a headache at all?”

“Yep. My brain is overfilled with information. Also, I have a brain. I have a sense of morality. I’m more real than I’ve ever been. And…” he hesitated before answering, “I don’t want that to go away quite yet.”

“Me too.” They sat in silence for a while. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“What do you think would happen to Thomas if we stayed here?” Roman thought about Virgil’s question for a moment.

“The dark sides would take over. Janus would convince Thomas he’s doing the right thing when he’s not. He would be corrupted, and we would’ve failed him.” They both already knew this, but they needed to hear it out loud, otherwise they wouldn’t leave.

“Then we have to find a way back, no matter what.” Roman nodded in response.

“Easier said than done,” Roman said, jokingly. Virgil nearly laughed at the situation. It took an existential crisis for Roman to treat him like a friend. Even so, it was nice to connect with him like this, and know that he wasn’t facing this moral dilemma alone. He couldn’t stand to face anything alone anymore.

Virgil yawned. “I haven't gotten any sleep since this morning. I probably should've rested before coming here."

"Me, too. Then again, it is difficult to sleep when you have so much on your mind."

"True." Even still, Virgil gently closed his and felt the veil of sleep pass over him.

. . .

Virgil woke up an hour later to find himself sleeping on something. It felt comforting, and he was relaxed for once. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and started looking around. He was glad to see he was still on the bridge of Dawn River, sitting on the bench, with… with…

‘Roman,’ he whispered. Virgil realized he was sleeping on Roman’s shoulder, and Roman was sleeping on him. Virgil moved his head in an effort to wake the prince up. Then, almost out of nowhere…  
“Virgil! Roman!” called a voice. They both startled and moved away from each other. “Hey guys!”

“Hi, Patton,” Virgil replied. He peered through the darkness and spied another figure behind Pat. “And… is that Logan?”

“Hello, Virgil. Roman,” Logan replied. “Let us start, shall we?”

“Yes, of course! Anyone have any news?” Roman asked.

Patton smiled, practically bursting with news. “We made an epic discovery!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really really sorry about the several month delay. I lost motivation, got busy, went through a really low time, dated someone, got my heart broken, ect. Life happens. However, the latest Sanders Sides episode inspired me, and brought me back to this. I hope you like it!


	5. The Edge of The World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sides make some new discoveries and explore their surroundings

“What is it?” Virgil asked. The whole group had fallen silent, waiting eagerly to hear whatever Logan and Patton had to say. The evening air left the atmosphere cold and uncertain. The dim lighting shrouded the sides in mystery, and as darkness surrounded them, they unconsciously moved closer to each other. The unfamiliar circumstances only made them rely more on the others as the only constants.

“The dark sides. They had to launch their plan early, which means they did not have enough time to plan things out, or proofread. There are little flaws here and there which allowed us to wake up so easily. This means we have an advantage” Logan monologued. The sides grinned with relief. They were in need of good news. The revelation brought some sense of warmth between them.

“That’s great! So what’s our next move?” Roman jumped up and stepped away from Virgil, who was still on the bench. Roman was ready to launch into action right away. Patton put a calming hand on his shoulder, and they both relaxed and took a deep breath.

“I am sorry to disappoint, but frankly, I do not know. We need to find a solid, concrete way to wake up from whatever illusions they put us through. I doubt things will work out quite like this next time.” Virgil’s face fell at Logan’s words.

“So what do we do until then? I can’t just wait around knowing every passing second is another second they’re getting smarter.”

“Hey, it’s okay kiddo. We’ll figure it out. Together.” Patton sat down and put an arm around Virgil. They sat for a while, just listening to the frogs and grasshoppers in the river below.

“Yeah Virge, it’ll be alright.” Roman was slightly awkward, but Virgil appreciated the effort.

“In the meantime, we pretend we know nothing. Business as usual. We gather as much information as we can about how this world works, and when we figure it out, we go back to Thomas. He needs us.” The others nodded in agreement. “I believe that’s enough for tonight. We need our sleep now, apparently.”

They got up and left together, leaving each other behind when the path parted. Each one was thinking of how to best escape the strange nightmare.

* * *

“I figured out what went wrong.”

“Oh really? What’s that?”

“We based it on their personalities, but the dream itself is coming from us.”

“And? What do you expect me to do?”

“We make it one of their dreams. Let them do the work. It would make everything easier.”

“Alright. Which one of them will the dream revolve around?”

“Let’s start simple. Patton.”

* * *

Getting up was harder the next morning. A combination of uneasy sleep combined with a lack of motivation made Virgil not want to leave his bed. But he had to. For Thomas. It might’ve taken a bit longer, but at least he got up. It was hard some days, but he always did.

He went through the motions and got ready for another day of school. He took a cold shower to wake up, and messed with his hair in the mirror. It sure was strange to see himself as this pale anxious teenager, but at the same time, was this the real him? Or was that who he was with Thomas? Either way, he relied on the people he had come to trust. 

It was hard to keep his distance. He noticed the others, but pretended he didn’t. They weren’t any more than faces to him. Everyone else was starting to creep him out. Nothing was real. Bizarre.

They all went through their routines. Instead of detention, they went to eat where they ‘normally’ do. Roman with his castmates, Patton with friends, and Logan and Virgil by themselves. Logan did homework and read, while Virgil drew in his sketchbook. The day passed by uneventfully. They walked home, ate food, went to sleep. Normal. Well, mostly.

The next day, Patton, Roman, and Virgil were slipped notes from Logan.

“Meet at the bridge after school. Be quick. I have news.”

They all read it, and, as discreetly as possible, disposed of the note. They couldn’t let the dark sides know they had any sort of a plan. Following its instructions, they once again found themselves together at the bridge over Dawn River. After exchanging pleasantries, Logan spoke up.

“I think it is time I explain exactly why I gathered you here. It’s simple. I have a theory on how we can wake up.” Everyone waited expectantly. “We need to follow the river. Look closely as far as you can”. They did as instructed. At a certain point, they couldn’t see anything, not even trees. “The edge of the world”.

"And you think going to the far reaches of this place will… what, wake us up?" Virgil was skeptical, but he held onto hope.

"Well, if it doesn't, it'll at least give us some insight into the nature of this world. I suggest we explore it tomorrow night. Midnight."

They nodded. "Hey, this good news. A step in the right direction. Until then, we gotta keep our heads up. Okay?" The others smiled at Patton's spirit.

"Yes, of course Patton" Roman nodded.

"I concur." Logan was trying his best to stay purely logical, but he wasn't very successful.

"Yeah, okay" Virgil shyly smiled at Patton, resulting in a hug.

"That settles it. See you guys then!" Patton waved and started going back, and Logan followed suit. Virgil hung back a bit.

"Are you… alright, Virgil?" Roman asked hesitantly.

"Do you even really care?" Virgil's tone was sour.

"Y… yeah. Of course I do," he paused. "Listen, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but we're friends now. You can trust me."

"I'm sorry I snapped. Things have just been difficult for me lately. This is my worst nightmare come to life. The dark sides have taken control. I… failed.”

“You did not fail. Sure, events have taken a turn for the worse, but we can still beat them. We can do this. Like Patton said, we’ll do it together.” Roman smiled at Virgil, and they both blushed lightly.

“Yeah, I guess so. And being more than just anxiety is so new and weird and… well, kind of nice?” Virgil didn’t want to admit it, but he’s not just a part of Thomas this way. He can be something bigger than that.

“You’ll always be more than that to me.” Roman’s blush deepened. “I mean… us. Everyone cares about you.”

“Thanks Princey.” Virgil gave an awkward smile and started towards home. “I’ll see you tomorrow”.

* * *

The next day, things seemed normal. The sides all went about their days as usual, and nothing strange happened. Patton was cheerfully skipping through his day, when Mr. J stopped him during lunch.

“Patton, could I see you in my office?” Mr. J asked curtly without a hint of emotion on his face.

“Yeah of course, what do you need?” Patton followed Mr. J into the office without worry. Logan watched them go, and, unlike Patton, was very suspicious. He decided to wait and see to avoid the possibility of exposing himself.

After going about the rest of his school day and not seeing Patton, Logan started to worry. Putting his better judgement aside, Logan marched right into the office.

* * *

That night, after sneaking up once again, Virgil found himself once again admiring the scenery. He sat down on the cold wooden bench and waited for the others. Not long after, Roman emerged from the dark.

“Hey,” Virgil said in greeting.

“Hello there.” Roman was rather stiff. “I brought a flashlight to help guide the way.”

“Good idea.” After a pause, he asked, “what time is it?” Virgil rocked back and forth, and looked around.

“Almost 1am. That’s not good. Logan would never be late.” They shared a knowing look.

“We have to go then. If something did happen to them, at least we can hopefully wake up.” Roman nodded. They walked around to the side of the river and trudged through the thick brush. After what felt like a long time, the trees and bushes and water melted the way, and in their place was a doorway of darkness. They looked at each other nervously, considering their options.

“Well, what’s the worst thing that can happen, right?” Virgil half joked.

“Yes Virgil, I’m sure nothing bad would ever happen from walking into something you don’t understand.” Roman and Virgil slowly turned aroud to find the source of the voice.

“Janus. Always one for the dramatic.” Roman hissed.

“Let’s cut to the chase. I have Patton and Logan, and unless you do exactly as I instruct… well, let’s just say it won’t be pretty.” Janus threatened vaguely.

“Yeah, like we’ll trust you.” Virgil took a step towards the doorway.

“I wouldn’t.” Janus reached out. “Come on, Virgil. If you come with me, I can give you everything you ever wanted.”

“Virgil…” Roman desperately searched for the right words. Without responding, Virgil took Roman by the hand and dragged them both through the doorway, not looking back. The last thing they saw before fainting was the deepest black they’ve ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long in combination with chapters being out of order. Working on it!


End file.
